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Tuesday, 28 June 2011

A big thing in the past few years is to do something called 'fetal kick counts' a couple of times a day. You are suppose to start doing this around 28 weeks and count twice a day. The idea is that if it takes more then 2 hours to feel 10 movements from your baby then you need to call your doctor and go in to get checked out. When this process was first explained to me I automatically thought to myself, "Wow, that sounds stressful!" But I really havent had to worry about it as our little guy is usually pretty active. There have been a couple of times however (today included) where he has had a quiet day; most likely due to a growth spurt. Because of the importance they put on this though it causes me to go into freak out mode when I don't get those movements within a few minutes.

Today for example I realized around 2pm that I hadnt felt him move since I had woken up this morning. So I had a snack and a drink of juice and sat down just waiting for the sugar high to 'kick' in. But I got nothing. Odd, I thought. So I give him a few pokes and expect him to do his usual punch back. Still nothing. Matt suggests I put on some music as he loves a good beat and I manage to get two tiny little movements. Good start, but still not good enough to calm mummies panicking nerves. I proceeded to talk to him in a very stern voice and tell him that he is scaring his mummy and he needs to wake up and start moving. Yeah, there is a visual. Crazy pregnant woman pointing at her very large tummy and demanding it to move. I drink another cup of orange juice and sit and wait again. Finally, after what feels like hours he wakes up a bit and moves enough to give me my 10 (it was only half an hour by the way.) Sigh of relief... and 15 minutes later hes moved at least 20 times for me. But I was honestly THISCLOSE to calling the doctor and rushing off to the hospital to have them check with a doppler and ultrasound! This whole being a mommy business is scary stuff. Its crazy how concerned one can be about the health and welfare of their baby before they have even officially 'met' them.

Anyways, what I am trying to get at here is basically that I really dont like this whole 'kick counting' thing. It causes someone like me way too much anxiety. I dont know how often mothers do go to the hospital when there is a lack of movement in 2 hours and find out something is wrong... Maybe I dont want to know. But I do know that there are actually studies being done right now to decide whether this is an accurate, effective and healthy practice for soon to be mothers to be doing. Im interested to hear what the results are on it.

PS - Wanna know how I eventually got him to do all that movement later on? WICKED soundtrack... might have a broadway baby after all (Im so sorry Matt.... ;)

Monday, 27 June 2011

In the past month I have been lucky to have two wonderful showers thrown for me and baby Noah. I am so appreciative of all the work that went into them and for all those who came out. Matt and I were talking yesterday about how much you all have helped prepare us for this new chapter of our lives. It means so much and we are TRULY blessed!

The first was a family shower at my Aunt Helens. Its always a good time when the Creamore side of the family gets together. We are a very chatty happy bunch and there are alot of us! I love them dearly :)

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Loved the diaper cake!

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Cutting of the cake

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Doing what we do best - socializing :)

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Monkey lamp for Noahs bedroom!

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My second shower was thrown by a few of my good friends and held at our church. These people feel like family to me as I have known alot of them for years and see them every single Sunday. I dont know what I would do without my church family as they make up such a huge part of my life. They are all SO excited for the latest addition to the 'family'

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34 weeks pregnant!

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Beautiful baby memories book given to me by Grandma. Noahs Ark, naturally.

Friday, 24 June 2011

Am I really 34 weeks pregnant? Because if thats really true that means this guy could be showing up in anywhere from 3-7 weeks. YIKES. We had our friends Aaron & Candice over for dinner last night and when I mentioned to them that he could be here in 3 weeks Matt thought I was kidding. His face was priceless haha. Once again, some days I feel ready for his arrival, other days not so much.

Unfortunitly the last couple of days have been pretty rough on me and Ive been feeling rather negative. Yesterday I didnt even feel like watching my regular TLC baby shows *gasp* because I didnt want to think about pregnancy and babies. I am trying to figure out if the baby has/or is in the process of dropping or if its just him getting heavier, but I have definitely had some changes in the past few days.
There is suddenly a significant amount of pressure on my hip bones and I feel like I need to go to a chiropractor to get things all pushed back into place. My sciatic pain has gone to a new level and has woken me up several times in the past few nights yelling and causing my husband to nearly fall out of the bed and run around to my side. Oh and I am going to the bathroom on average of 6 times a night. Its unbelievable how quickly the urge to pee comes on. I will be sitting on the couch watching tv and all of a sudden I have to go NOW. Problem is, there is no washroom on my main level and I have to waddle as fast as I can either up or down the stairs (theres a funny image eh?) Matt seems to find this pretty comical and adds his helpful "dont pee yourself" comments which only make me laugh and makes it even harder to hold it in.
My energy levels are still pretty low, but I think thats just my new reality. Grocery shopping yesterday somehow felt like I was running a marathon. Thats just not right! I feel so out of shape and cant wait to go out and get some excercise again. Thankfully I have a wonderful supportive husband who actually instructs me to 'not do anything' on a daily basis - not that I listen. But Ive got the best husband in the world :)

Tomorrow I have another baby shower which is being thrown by my church friends. Pretty excited about it! After that Ill do an entry on both my showers and post some pictures.
In the meantime, heres a belly shot I took this morning. Does my belly look lower to anyone?

Monday, 20 June 2011

We had maternity photos taken when I was 31 weeks pregnant. Our friend Elaine (from our church) did them for us as she loves to take pictures and has a really good eye for it. We were VERY happy with how they turned out. Heres a few highlights:

Thursday, 16 June 2011

Its official. My husband and I have moved up in the world of vehicles. No, we didnt join the minivan family (although trust me - I pushed for it. Matt just wasnt ready...) We bought a 2007 Chevy Cobalt this past week. About 3 years back we purchased a cheap and inexpensive 2 door cavalier and it has been so very good to us. Even made it a few times back and forth across Canada! However, with baby fast approaching and due to limited room in the back seat we decided it was time for an upgrade. So, here is a photo of our new ride. Name suggestions would be most welcome as we put our dear friend 'Le Car" up for sale.

Today I went to my hospitals prenatal clinic to familiarize myself with the Doctor rotation that they have for delieveries. I was feeling pretty nervous as the last doctor I had met (go back a few blog entries) previously and I hadnt really hit it off. I went with my mum this time as Matt was working and was really glad to have her support. I was pleasantly surprised on arrival - the receptionist was super friendly and really relaxed me about everything. When I told her how far along I was she even responded with "Wow, you are almost there! Good for you!" Yep, definitely like this woman.

Then an awkward moment. Remember how I mentioned that the Doctor I had met a few weeks back works on the rotation and I may end up running into her at the clinic? Yeah. She was there. She didnt even reconize me and introduced herself to me all over again. It was actually kind of comical. Plus, I decided that it was easier to just laugh about the situation then to stress out. Turns out, she was alot different working here at the hospital then in her private office. First of all, the room was super tidy and clean and I felt completely comfortable being there. She smiled, looked me in the eye, explained how everything was going to work there, expressed concern for my health about my recent diagnosis of anemia and asked me if I had any questions. She still didnt wipe me up after doing the doppler or offer to help me up, but other then that she was actually quite pleasant. Unlike last time when I left feeling concerned and anxious I felt totally confident in the kind of care that I will recieve during labour. Again, she is only one of about 8 doctors on the rotation, and when I go back in two weeks I will mostly likely meet another one. But I did feel that I needed to cut the woman a bit of slack and suggest that maybe when I saw her last time she was just having a bad day? Maybe, maybe not. I may never know.

I also saw my family doctor yesterday and am happy to report he says I am doing "awesome!" He predicts that our little guy is approx. 5 pounds and 19 inches long. My favorite news? He believe that I will be delievering a high 7 low 8 pound baby. PERFECT! I told him how I was concerned about having a huge baby since Matt was so big but he doesnt see that happening at all. He told me that as big as I feel I would be much larger right now if that was the case. He also suggested that maybe I need to be walking with a cain since my sciatic pain has been, well, brutal, this past week. I told him Id rather suck it up then be caught dead walking with one of those at my age. Oh, and I officially hit the 20 pound weight gain mark. YIKES. Its all baby thankfully so I am all good. I apperently still have another 5-10 pounds to spare at this point.

I was going to talk about a few other things but I think this entry is long enough. Ill add some more updates soon :)

Tuesday, 14 June 2011

I know its very normal to get advice from others who have gone through labour. Some days the things people have to say I find very valuable, others make me laugh and some days it sends me into panic and worries me. I have been really good lately about staying positive, but what shocks me are the people who seem to try and squash my positivity. I just dont get it. Heres a few of the comments Ive been thinking in my head when I hear those negative comments.

1.Them: "You are only 32 weeks pregnant? Oh wow you have so much longer to go still!"Me: Really??? I have been pregnant for 32 weeks out of 40 already. I kind of feel like Ive come along way.

2.Them: "You are uncomfortable NOW? Oh just you wait."Me: Yes actually, I am quite uncomfortable. I have constant pain up my back, left leg and hip. So much so that my Dr. has prescribed morphine for the pain (not that I have allowed myself to take it.) And yes, I do realize that the baby is going to get bigger yet. But do I really need to be told that several times a week?

3. Them:"You think you are tired now... just wait until the baby comes."Me: Yes, I understand that I will not be sleeping much once he arrives. But thats been my reality for quite a while already. I havent slept for longer then a 3 hour period for well over a month and a half. Im already awake 5 or 6 times a night. Whenever I wake up I find myself thinking that I might aswell have a baby to take care of because Im up already.

4. Them: "You are going to get an epidural? Are you sure thats what you want?"Me: Uhhhh yeah, is that so ridicules? I have been warned that this sciatic pain will get worse with each contraction. I don't think me being unconscience is going to help anyone during my labour.

And then there is the follow up to the epidural conversation...

5. Them:"Well what are you going to do if it doesnt work??"

Me: First of all... why on EARTH would you say that to a woman who is about to go through labour? And second of all, I prefer not to think about that. If it does happen theres not a whole lot I can do about it is there. Ill just have to deal.

6. Them: "Guess its a good thing you did all that travelling before you had a baby, that certainly wont be happening anymore."Me: Uh, we arent dying? It is possible to travel with a child. I understand that its not nearly as easy to do and will require more planning and gear, but were ok with that.

Please dont get me wrong. I am incredibly excited and thankful to be pregnant and am not complaining about it at all. Its just exhausting to hear this stuff so often when you already feel like your body is falling apart. I have also been give some very good advice from others and have very supportive family and friends. Just dont try to squash a pregnant womans positivity please... were just trying to stay happy and get through our final few weeks.

Friday, 10 June 2011

It is absolutely crazy to think that I am now 8 months pregnant! In less then 10 weeks, our little guy will be out of my belly and into the world. My anxieties over being a parent have gone way down in the past week or so and have now been channeled into excitment. Tomorrow I have my first baby shower, which is strange because it feels like I just had a wedding shower at the same place a few months ago. Oh how the time flies...
The last couple days havent been great for me pain wise and I have had to give in to using tylonal to keep myself functioning. Its something I dont like doing but have come to terms with (my Dr. assures me its fine) I did however, have the best sleep in weeks last night! Believe me, this is a big deal. Since my sciatic pain started about 5 weeks back I am usually awake on average 5 times a night. Last night I only woke up twice! What a good mood that put me in! I may not even need a nap today.

Baby Noah seems to be getting pretty cramped at this point. I no longer feel kicks very often, but more so get elbows, knees and what Im assuming are arms pushing and jabbing outward trying to create more space. His feet are pretty permanently settled in my right rib too which is just lovely. Cant complain though, because he has yet to take awake my air supply!

We had a friend of ours take some maternity pictures for us last weekend which we are very excited about! From what weve seen so far she has done a fantastic job and we cant wait to see the rest of the photos. Heres a little sneak peak.

Thursday, 2 June 2011

My thoughts are a little all over the place lately. I seem to have days where I feel very confident and excited about the arrival of our little boy and other days where I am completely freaking out inside. And no, it is not the labour that I am worried about! I think the realization is starting to set in that in less then 10 weeks Matt and I will be responsible for a living, breathing human being. My doctor said to me the other day happily, "Can you believe you will only be seeing me 2 or 3 more times before this baby is here? You are pretty much done!" WOW. Cut to me nervously laughing and my eyes bugging out of my head.

I remember back in my first few months of pregnancy being so worried about the idea of miscarriage. I have many friends who have had to go through this heartbreaking loss and I was concerned about how I would deal with it if it happened to me. I told myself that if I just got through those first 3 months then I wouldnt have to worry anymore. One of my girlfriends (who had a young baby at the time) laughed at that and told me, "Yeah right, the worrying never ends!" I didnt believe her. I do now! There are a million worries that go through my head every single day. Some are related to the pregnancy (is he too quiet? Is the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck? Is he getting enough food? What if the technician was wrong and HE is a SHE!) and others are related to when we take him home from the hospital (What if he has a health problem we dont know about? What if he has difficulty breathing? What about SIDS? What about Autism?)

I admit that I probably have more worries and anxities then the average person, its just the way my body has dealt with a few unfortunate circumstances that I have experienced in the past 8 years. I dont like the idea of not being in control of what is going on around me (just ask my husband, ha) But I do have faith that there is a God who is in control and knows what He is doing with my life; I just have to trust Him to do it. Much easier said then done, I know, but what else can I do? I have to surrender all my anxious thoughts to Him and just keep doing the best that I can everyday. When I do that, I know that it will all be okay in the end.